Accidental Meeting

by Susette Williams

  They hadn’t talked much about his firing Gary. He had only told her in a gentle voice that she should have told him about her run-in with her ex-boss. There was nothing condescending in the way he said it either. Abbey could tell he felt concerned even if it wasn't his fault. The fact that he had taken action meant a lot to her. If things were different, she would love to continue working with Bruce. But how could she continue to hide her feelings?

  Bruce was nothing like Gary. She knew Bruce would never cross the employer-employee line. But, as long as she worked there, she would never have a hope of their relationship turning intimate. And, seeing that his cast would be coming off in a week, there wouldn't be time to find out anyway. Abbey hoped that they would keep in touch. Losing him and his friendship would break her heart.

  Bruce reached out and took her hand. “You didn’t answer me.”

  “Hmm?”

  “Would you like a cup of coffee?” Bruce repeated.

  “Oh. No thank you.”

  “I was hoping we could talk, Abbey.”

  Abbey nodded. Her mind felt like a jumbled mess, especially when he looked at her with those dreamy eyes that made her melt.

  “I don’t want you to leave.”

  Abbey blinked rapidly and looked from him to the door and back again. “What do you mean?”

  Bruce smiled. “I don’t want you to leave Abbot & Ellingsworth. I need you, Abbey.”

  “You don’t need me. You’ve got Jean back now and in a week your cast will be coming off. You’ll be as good as new.”

  “I’d still hate to lose you, Abbey.”

  “You can always call me if you can’t find something. Plus, nothing says we can’t keep in touch.” Abbey forced a smile, stood, and paced across the room, leaving the possibility for any chance of seeing each other in the future up to him. Her heart skipped a beat, hoping he would reach out and seize the opportunity. If Abbey had been anything like Monica, she would have come out and told Bruce how she felt, but her parents had always stressed that the man needed to be the one who pursued the young lady. Abbey's parents never allowed her to call boys when she was in high school either. It wasn't easy to change what had been ingrained in her through her youth.

  She bit her lower lip. No matter how much she wanted to try, she couldn't bring herself to tell Bruce how much she wanted to see him outside of work, like they had on Easter. But to him, maybe it was only work. Abbey playing the Good Samaritan. Bruce hadn't responded. She turned to look at him.

  His lips were pursed. “Okay, Abbey. You win.”

  * * *

  Over the next week, Bruce never said another word concerning her staying. He hadn’t said much at all. Sometimes Abbey caught him staring at her. Whenever she looked at him, she saw something that may have been sadness in his eyes before he turned away. Although Abbey was afraid he felt somehow responsible that he couldn’t make up for the things Gary had done to her, she couldn’t tell him differently. That would only lead Bruce to ask her for the real reason why she was leaving. She didn’t want to answer that question if it came up. If she stayed, it needed to be because he wanted her around as more than just an employee.

  Abbey dressed businesslike in a navy blue pantsuit and pink blouse. She dreaded today. Today, Bruce’s cast came off and her job would be finished once she brought him back from the doctor’s office.

  * * *

  Bruce stood in his office looking out the window. While he was relieved to have his cast off, he couldn't shake the uneasy feeling churning in his stomach. His gut clenched into tiny knots. Abbey would be cleaning out the few things she had at Abbot & Ellingsworth and would be leaving any minute. Like a wishbone at Thanksgiving being torn in two, his emotions felt conflicted and torn apart. Abbey had left a door open for him when she told him he could call her if he had a problem. Bruce ran his hand through his hair. He had lots of problems. All of them began with how much he was going to miss her when she left.

  “Looks like you have a lot on your mind?”

  Bruce turned to see Angel watching him from the doorway. “What are you doing here?”

  “Can’t a girl come see her big brother when she wants to?” Angel smiled. She was carrying a small, white box.

  “Sure.” Bruce sighed, opening his arms to embrace his sister.

  Angel met him near the desk and hugged him, then stood back to look at his leg. “How’s it feel having your cast off?”

  Bruce shrugged. “Okay.”

  “You don’t sound very excited about it." Angel gave him an inquisitive look. "Wouldn’t have anything to do with a certain brunette packing up her things down the hall would it?”

  Bruce didn’t answer. He didn’t want to talk about Abbey with his sister. It hurt enough for him to think about her leaving.

  “I brought you both a gift. I guess you’ll have to open it yourself.” Angel handed him the box.

  “What is this?”

  “Open it,” Angel urged.

  Bruce lifted the lid and extracted a plastic, wedding cake topper. Bruce laughed involuntarily at the tiny, novelty car with a waving, smiling bride and an equally happy looking groom inside.

  “When I saw it, I couldn’t resist getting it. It made me think about how you and Abbey met.”

  Bruce smiled. If Abbey hadn’t run into him that day six weeks earlier, they most likely would have never met. Even after all that had happened that day, Abbey quitting her job the day he was taking over their company, their paths still crossed. It was as if they were destined to meet. God had a plan for them.

  “If you hurry, you could still catch her,” Angel said, interrupting his thoughts. “Why don’t you give it to her as a memento? You know, a way to remember how you both met.”

  “I don’t know.” Bruce wanted to, but he wasn’t sure how Abbey felt. If only he knew if she had feelings for him, it would be easier to tell her how he felt. How in the world did he ever fall in love with her? His defenses were down. Having worked his way to the top in business, he'd proven he didn't need anyone's help and a car accident changed all of that—he needed Abbey. He let her into his defenses and hadn’t expected to fall in love—it just happened. Bruce turned the plastic car around in his hands. The bride even had the same color hair as Abbey.

  “Well, if you’re going to go see her, you better hurry. She was crying when I saw her. Which means she’s probably going to want to leave quickly so that nobody sees her.”

  “She was crying?”

  “Yeah. I said something about how she’ll never have to put up with you again and she broke down in tears.”

  Bruce smiled and hugged Angel. “You’re a pain, but adorable. I love you.”

  He heard Angel holler, “I love you, too,” as he ran out the door.

  His heart leapt in excitement. Abbey didn’t like the thought of not seeing him either. Bruce hurried down the hall to the desk Abbey was using earlier. She wasn’t there. Grabbing the phone, he called down to the reception desk on the first floor.

  “This is Jacqui. How may I help you?”

  “I’d like you to stop Abbey Martin before she leaves. I need to speak with her.” Bruce started to hang up the phone but heard the receptionists say something. He pulled the phone back to his ear. “What was that?”

  “I’m sorry. Miss Martin has already left the building.”

  Bruce slammed down the phone and rushed towards the elevator. Most likely, she was going home. He’d catch up with her there. By the time he reached his car he was panting and out of breath. Inside his vehicle, he tossed the box Angel gave him on the passenger seat, ground the key in the ignition and drove out of the parking garage. In front of Abbot & Ellingsworth, he spotted Abbey’s blue car.

  * * *

  Abbey wiped the tears from her cheeks, put her car in drive, and started to pull out of her parking spot on the street. The screech of brakes locking startled her. She slammed on her brakes and looked over her left shoulder. It was Bruce’s Lincoln. “Oh, no. I can’t deal with thi
s again.” Abbey clutched the steering wheel and laid her head against her hands, a new stream of tears began.

  Bruce opened her car door and knelt down on one knee next to her. “Are you okay?”

  Abbey nodded. “I’m sorry. I didn’t see you.”

  “You don't have anything to be sorry for, Abbey. You didn’t hit me and if you would have, it still would have been my fault. I wanted to stop you from leaving.”

  Abbey looked up to meet his gaze. Bruce wiped the tears on her cheek away with his thumb. The soothing sensation sent tingles racing throughout her body.

  “Here.” Bruce handed her a white box. “I don’t want you to go, Abbey.”

  Abbey pulled out the contents. “What’s this? I… I don’t understand.”

  “Abbey, I know our meeting wasn’t an accident and now that I know you, I can’t let you go. You’ve showed me there was something missing in my life. I didn’t have joy. You helped me overcome past hurt and guilt. You showed me love and taught me to have a spirit of gladness, to look for the good in every situation. Through all of this I’ve learned so much and I’ve come to care for you.”

  Bruce took her small hand in his. “Abbey, I’m blessed for having met you. I love you, Abbey and I want to spend the rest of my life with you.”

  “Oh, Bruce.” Abbey threw her arms around his neck. “I couldn’t bare the thought of leaving and losing you either. It was killing me.”

  Bruce pulled away from her and gazed into her eyes as he stroked her hair gently. “You don’t have to worry about losing me. I’m never going to leave and I’m going to keep you close by my side.”

  Abbey’s eyes closed slowly as his lips descended on hers in a kiss that melted her insides. A beeping horn drew her back to reality. Angel waved as she drove by. Abbey smiled and looked at the gift in her lap. “I have one small question.”

  Bruce tucked a few stray hairs behind her ear, sending shivers through her body. He kissed her again. “What was it you wanted to ask?”

  It took a moment for Abbey to remember her question. “I was curious. Are you trying to tell me you feel safer by my side when we’re driving?”

  Bruce broke out in heartwarming laughter and hugged her. “Something like that.”

  FALLING IN LOVE

  A novella from Seasons of the Heart novella collection

  Read an excerpt:

  Chapter One

  Golden Glory thrashed in the straw on the dirt floor, a shaft of sunlight illuminating the horse's perked ears and frightened eyes. Katie pulled her T-shirt over her nose to ward off the stench from the day's droppings, which wafted through the too-warm-air of the dilapidated barn.

  “What do you want me to do?” Katie Morgan asked her veterinarian boss, Wade McAlester. She stood behind him in the confined space of the horse’s stall as he checked the position of the foal in its mother’s uterus.

  “Kneel down and speak softly to her. It doesn’t look like it’s going to be too much longer.”

  Straw crunched beneath her feet as she went around to the horse’s head and knelt. Carefully she pulled off her gloves and laid them aside, not wanting to startle the horse that was already preoccupied with her own discomfort. Katie pulled at the T-shirt that clung to her perspiration-drenched chest.

  Somewhere in the barn a pig squealed while Katie stroked Golden Glory’s soft blonde mane. “Easy girl. It won’t be long now. Your baby will be here soon. Shh.”

  “She gonna be okay, doc?” Fred Eaker leaned on the wood stall and frowned. This was his horse, Golden Glory’s, first colt.

  Wade's friend didn’t want to lose his prize mare’s foal. “I’ll do everything I can.”

  He’d helped to deliver other animals around Fred’s ranch. It was no wonder the older man had such confidence in him. Fred didn’t care what university Wade went to, just that he could do the job.

  Bringing Katie along was a good thing. It was the only way she was going to get a chance at becoming a veterinarian in this county. Several of the locals had an aversion to students from the college coming around ‘helping’ them out with their livestock. After a couple students tried mock bull fighting with Old Man Jenkin’s bull, quite a few of the locals turned their noses up at the students in general because of their wild behavior.

  Some of the old timers were still funny about having women in this profession, too. Not that he really understood why. Whatever the reason, Wade was determined to help Katie succeed. The more he brought her on his rounds, the more the locals became accustomed to her. It was only a matter of time until she gained their trust. He was sure of it. She’d already worked her way into his heart.

  Golden Glory grunted and her eyes widened in distress. “It’s okay girl. I’ll help you. Easy.”

  Katie stroked the horse’s mane softly offering words of reassurance as Wade reached in to guide the foal. She didn’t have time to look at Fred who stood erect, anxious in his helplessness or she would have seen his fist clenched while he waited in frustrated anticipation. With all that was going on, Wade noticed. Whenever Katie was near all of his senses went on alert, but he made sure to conceal his feelings safely from her view as well as others.

  “I can’t…can’t get the other hoof.” Wade’s brow filled with perspiration and his normally soft, brown locks clung to it. His tanned muscles flexed as he strained to guide the colt out of its mother’s womb. “There. I’ve got you now.”

  As the foal slid out, Katie beamed, her eyes shining with admiration. When he had finished caring for the horse and the foal, he stood and stretched. Katie flung herself into Wade’s arms, nearly knocking him off balance.

  “I knew you could do it.” She planted a kiss on his cheek.

  Wade longed to embrace her in his arms. Instead he forced himself to keep his arms at his sides while she clung to him. The flowery scent of perfume teased his senses and offered a more refreshing smell than the straw and dust in the old barn. He allowed her to hug him a couple moments longer than he should have. “I’m a little too messy to be hugging. Not to mention we have company.”

  “Oh. I’m sorry.” Katie released him immediately. “You better go wash up.”

  Wade lowered his gaze, his attention drawn to her snug fitting T-shirt. She smiled innocently and started to look down to see what was he was staring at on her shirt when the sound of metal clanking and the muffled curse brought their attention back to Fred.

  Katie smiled at Fred who only raised his eyebrow in reply.

  “Sorry. Things still seem to be a bit out of place since Martha died. How’s my horse? Think she’ll be okay, doc?”

  “I don’t think you have anything to worry about,” Wade said over his shoulder as he washed off with the hose. “She’s a little tired, but she’ll be fine.” He then told Fred what to watch for and instructed him to call if anything out of the ordinary happened.

  Katie observed Fred as he removed his Stetson and wiped his brow with his forearm before replacing his hat. He reminded her of an old-timer out of one of the ageless westerns she’d seen on TV, except he was in color. Her mood became solemn when she thought of him having to go it alone without his wife by his side.

  “Take it easy, Fred. Give us a call if you need anything.” Katie patted the foal that was nuzzled close to its mother.

  Fred tipped his hat in farewell. Wade held the door of his truck open for Katie to get in. A moment later, he climbed in beside her and they waved goodbye to Fred as they drove away and headed back to Katie’s house.

  Her green eyes absorbed Wade’s features. Razor stubble lined his firm jaw. Not that he smelled delightful at the moment, none-the-less, he was an attractive man. Katie looked around the interior of his truck. If the saying, cleanliness is next to Godliness was true then Wade walked with God. She'd never known anyone to be so neat.

  “What’s on your mind? Thinking about your test?” Wade glanced at her.

  “No. Well, yes. That’s been on my mind too, but I was curious about something else.”

/>   Wade stole another peek at Katie while he drove. His heart clenched at the frown on her face. What could trouble his beautiful twenty-two year old helper? When her normal sparkling green eyes lit up, his heart would practically stop. Now, they were a deep, intent green. “What’s bothering you, Katie?”

  “Nothing’s bothering me. I’m just curious. How come you haven’t gotten married yet?”

  Wade gulped. “What?”

  “Marriage. How come you’ve never tied the knot with anyone?” Katie stared at him in curious fascination. "A man who’s thirty should be married by now."

  Wade thought about how to answer her. Why wasn’t he married? This still wasn’t the right time to address that with her, but he would… one day. “When the time is right, God will reveal the right woman to me.”

  “So, you’re waiting on God? Haven’t you tried helping Him a bit?”

  Wade chuckled. “Like how?”

  “Like maybe going out on a date.”

  His eyebrows raised as his heart skipped a beat and he gripped the steering wheel tighter. “Well, of course I’ve thought about dating.”

  “Really?” she asked. “Then would you mind if I fixed you up with a friend?”

  Wade frowned. He didn't want to date her friends, he wanted to date her. But given that she was interning at his vet clinic, it didn't seem appropriate to ask her until she was no longer working for him.

  “She’s really nice and very pretty. Her name is Margaret Stephens. She goes to college with me and she also plans on becoming a model.”

  He focused on the road. “I didn’t know they had modeling at your University. Isn’t Missouri a bit far from the normal modeling strips?”

  “Well, a little,” she conceded. “She’s getting a degree. She mentioned something about having a career to fall back on. That’s a good sign. It means she’s responsible.”